Construction students qualify in site manager safety

Local building company McCarthy and Stone awarded eight first year BSc (Hons) Construction Management students with CITB Site Manager Safety Training Scheme certificates last week.

The qualification is mandatory for all construction site managers entering the industry and is valid for five years, meaning the students have a significant employability advantage once they’ve graduated.

The initiative was developed by Solent University in partnership with Southampton City Council and McCarthy and Stone, with the latter covering all course materials and costs, as well as the exam fee. Usually taking a week of full-time study, students were able to attend one day a week for six weeks.

Ray Kelly, Health and Safety Operations Director at McCarthy and Stone, says: “In many university courses the health and safety aspect of construction is very lightly covered. The participating students will leave university at a level beyond most other universities, which I think Solent University is to be commended for.

“It was a delight to deliver the course, and the students were a great group to teach. It went so well, I am pushing for McCarthy and Stone to continue the initiative next year.”

Student Craig Cummerson, who is working on placement with McCarthy and Stone and is likely to be employed full time over the summer, adds: “It was a really good course, and a lot of what we covered coincided with what we’ve been learning in our modules this semester, so it was really beneficial for us.

“We’re now also more desirable to employers, which is a great thing. It’d be great to see the course carry on for future years so other students can benefit from it too.”